There have been various short range radio communications technologies used in the past that provide low cost (low power) communications. Some examples include Radio Local Area Networks, Mobile Radio Data, Paging Devices and some low power applications such as Remote Meter Reading and Video/Audio Transmissions. In spite of the benefits of these technologies, they largely remain confined to use in niche applications operating in select environments.
However, the concept of short range wireless communications has gained increasing interest in recent years. The popularity of handheld devices such as mobile phones and PDAs have fuelled the desire for connectivity between these devices and with computing resources such as wireless LANs. One solution that was developed to provide these types of connections using low power wireless links is Bluetooth. Bluetooth is a communications standard for short-range radio connections that allow communication with mobile devices in an ad-hoc fashion. Bluetooth enables voice and data transfer between communication devices and computing devices within a range of about 10 to 100 meters. Since it is based on radio technology, a significant advantage is that it allows for the elimination of cables that normally connect devices to be replaced by a universal short-range radio link. And due to its RF nature, the devices do not need to be within line-of-sight of each other which allow connections through walls or other non-metal objects, as opposed to infrared. This enables mobile phones to be especially suitable for use with Bluetooth where they could, for example, operate as a modem for a laptop or PDA to further enhance mobility.
One type of application for Bluetooth that is attracting significant interest is the use of so-called Bluetooth-enabled information kiosks. A Bluetooth Kiosk can be used to broadcast local information that can be received by Bluetooth-enabled devices, such as a phone or PDA, when the come into range. By way of example, a public Bluetooth Kiosk may be installed in a shopping mall to allow people to have quick access to information related to the stores in the mall or installed in an airport terminal to provide gate and flight information to travelers in convenient way. Other applications may be in the field of advertising where a user passing by a store can be beamed information on sales or store opening hours directly to his handheld device. Still further applications may support e-business operations such as purchases from a kiosk e.g. lottery tickets, snacks etc. An advantage of the wireless information kiosk is that it allows multiple users to access information simultaneously and remains available even when the user leaves the coverage area of the Kiosk.
For a user on the receiving end of a lengthy download, it is often convenient to know the status of the download and the time remaining to complete the transfer. By way of example, data transfers in popular applications, such as web browsers, typically show a status indicator on display in the form of a progress bar which when a transfer is in progress. The bar typically shows the percentage of kilobytes of a web page, document, or images that have been successfully downloaded. The status indicator also provides the user feedback on the state of the transfer i.e. connection speed or whether the connection has been terminated, for example. However, at times when the Kiosk is serving numerous users simultaneously with downloads coupled with the randomness of users passing by the Kiosk which trigger the downloads, makes it difficult to calculate accurate estimates for the remaining download times for the associated devices.
Although the problem of accurately estimating and transmitting download status indicators was highlighted by operating in the Bluetooth short range communication environment, and specifically in connection with a Kiosk application, the problem also exists in other short range communication standards and in other applications where download operations occur. In view of the foregoing, it is an objective of the present invention to provide a technique for improving the accuracy of estimating the remaining download times and sending download status indicators to receiving devices engaged in download operations.